Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrubs, Spurge
Shrub
Origin
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
Number of Varieties
170-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
Desert, Lower slopes
USDA Hardiness Zone
-999912-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-10
Sunset Zone
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Rosette/Stemless
Plant Size
Minimum Height
200.00 cm270.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
400.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
-
-
Fruit Color
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Green, Blue Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmately Lobed
Rosette
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
All year
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Slow
Type of Soil
Dry, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Slightly Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
All year
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
Needs very little water
In Summer
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Less Watering
Moderate
In Winter
Less Watering
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Bold
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Hummingbirds
Allergy
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Leaves
Other Uses
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Paper pulp, Pulp can be used to make rope place mats and other goods
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Container, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Rock Garden, Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
JATROPHA
DASYLIRION texanum
Common Name
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
In Hindi
रतनजोत
sotol
In German
Purgiernuß
Dasylirion texanum
In French
purghère
sotol
In Spanish
frailejón
sotol
In Greek
jatropha
sotol
In Portuguese
galamaluco
sotol
In Polish
jatrofa
sotol
In Latin
Jatropha
sotol
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Euphorbiales
Liliales
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Jatropha
Dasylirion
Clade
Dicotyledonous
Monocots
Tribe
Jatropheae
-
Subfamily
Crotonoideae
Nolinoideae
Number of Species
170300
1
27800
👆🏻